Christineseportfolios.weebly.com



Sistema Universitario Ana G. Méndez

Escuela de Estudios Profesionales-Programa Ahora

Universidad del Turabo, Gurabo

Research:

“Common Grammatical Error ESL Students Make”

Amy C Marty Santos

S00985560

Prof. Cynthia Garcia

English Grammar

ENGL 245

“Whether they are beginners, who are just starting to grasp the basics, or advanced students who can speak quite fluently, ESL learners make grammar mistakes. That’s right. At any level, any stage. Most repeat the same kind of mistake again and again, and if these mistakes are not nipped in the bud, they will continue sprouting up. Although some mistakes don’t affect our students’ ability to communicate, we should always strive for increased accuracy.” (Pesce, 2007-2015) ESL learners, or ELL’s, often have a tough time with grammar because they are not continuously exposed to the language since an early age. Some of the most troublesome areas will be explained in greater detail, which are the use of homonyms/homophones and cross language transfers.

First we need to define just what homonyms/homophones are. Homophones are words that are pronounced alike yet have different spelling. As an example of this we can use: sail-sale, night-knight, bare-bear. Homonyms include homophones and words that are spelled the same but have different meanings. For example: bank – edge of a river vs. a financial institution, bark – sound a dog makes vs. a layer of a tree.

Cross language Transfer can also be known as linguistic interference. It occurs when the learner applies knowledge from one language, L1, to another, L2. Negative transfers are when the transfer items are not the same in both languages. For example the use of the word embarrassed for the word “embarazada” instead of pregnant. This can cause a very a very awkward situation.

These two grammatical items can be equally troublesome for language learners. In general, we can say that both can completely distort the meaning of a sentence with only one word. Homophones can be especially confusing in writing. On the other hand, linguistic transfers can alter both writing and speaking. As challenging as it seems at first, there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

The most important thing in learning about these errors is finding out how to overcome them. Building vocabulary is an excellent form of reducing errors. Constant exposure to the second language can be very helpful. This can happen through music, TV, and movies just to name a few. It is very important to be patient, as a second language learner or as an ESL teacher, since excellence is not achieved overnight and it takes time. And always remember the golden rule…Practice makes perfect!!!!

References:

Brians, P. (2013, November). Common Errors in English Usage. (3rd Edition). Washington State University, WA. Retrieved March 19, 2015, from

. (2002-2015). Homophones/Homonyms. Retrieved March 18, 2015, from Enchanted Learning:

Folse, K. (2009, October). Why K-12 Techers Need To Know AbouT ESL Grammar Issues. Volume 6, Issue 3-4. University of Central Florida, FL: TESOL International Association. Retrieved March 18, 2015, from (october-2009)/why-k-12-teachers-need-to-know-about-esl-grammar-issues

Pesce, C. (2007-2015). 10 Biggest ESL Grammar Mistakes and How to Keep Your Students from Making Them. Retrieved March 18, 2015, from :

................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download